Ward Against Death by Melanie Card
Genre: Young-Adult/Adult Crossover - Paranormal
Publication Date: August 2nd 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Age Range: Young Adult + up
Pages: 292
Book Source: Softcover edition (contest prize)
Synopsis
(via Goodreads): Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath
expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead
for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling
career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri
already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead
it is.
But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.
However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive…
But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.
However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive…
Scoot’s Review:
Ward has burned too many bridges of opportunity and is forced to fall back on the family career of necromancy. However, what should have just been a routine awakening turns into a catastrophe when the girl he wakes decides to solve her own murder. Dragged into a world of mystery and death Ward is quickly in way over his head. This was a really enjoyable read. It has a fun and unique plot line and is set in an interesting world; were being paranormal is normal, surgery is illegal, assassins abound, and there are entire guilds of men and women who can read your mind. Ward is a great character to lead the story. He is loyal and brave (under pressure) and really cares about people and his ‘calling’ in life. Gentleness seems to be his natural state, but he isn’t afraid to step it up when he needs to be tough and isn’t afraid to take risks. In contrast, Celia is a ‘kick-bum-and-ask-questions-later’ chick who can change personas as easily as changing clothes. Although trained from birth to be a cold killer, Celia isn’t a one dimensional character and has a soft side that Ward manages to bring out. The story has plenty of adventure and I enjoyed the twisty plot line of trying to solve Celia’s murder while learning there were much darker forces at work. I liked the romantic elements of the novel, and that they didn’t overwhelm the story; just a touch of romance to enhance the mystery and adventure of the overall storyline. The wording and pace flowed well. I did occasionally find myself confused on settings; I feel like this book could have used a map in the front to help with understanding the city’s layout. Despite that, it was a fun read and I look forward to reading more. If you are looking for an action filled, romantic, paranormal adventure be sure to pick up Ward Against Death!
Ward has burned too many bridges of opportunity and is forced to fall back on the family career of necromancy. However, what should have just been a routine awakening turns into a catastrophe when the girl he wakes decides to solve her own murder. Dragged into a world of mystery and death Ward is quickly in way over his head. This was a really enjoyable read. It has a fun and unique plot line and is set in an interesting world; were being paranormal is normal, surgery is illegal, assassins abound, and there are entire guilds of men and women who can read your mind. Ward is a great character to lead the story. He is loyal and brave (under pressure) and really cares about people and his ‘calling’ in life. Gentleness seems to be his natural state, but he isn’t afraid to step it up when he needs to be tough and isn’t afraid to take risks. In contrast, Celia is a ‘kick-bum-and-ask-questions-later’ chick who can change personas as easily as changing clothes. Although trained from birth to be a cold killer, Celia isn’t a one dimensional character and has a soft side that Ward manages to bring out. The story has plenty of adventure and I enjoyed the twisty plot line of trying to solve Celia’s murder while learning there were much darker forces at work. I liked the romantic elements of the novel, and that they didn’t overwhelm the story; just a touch of romance to enhance the mystery and adventure of the overall storyline. The wording and pace flowed well. I did occasionally find myself confused on settings; I feel like this book could have used a map in the front to help with understanding the city’s layout. Despite that, it was a fun read and I look forward to reading more. If you are looking for an action filled, romantic, paranormal adventure be sure to pick up Ward Against Death!
Notable Quotable:
“The necromancer scrambled down the ladder, missed the last rung, and landed in the stream of refuse, splashing it up the back of her legs. He coughed, his breath catching in his throat as if he was about to throw up. “What did I just step in?”Did he really have to ask? She glanced up to see if he had at least pulled the grate shut behind him. A perfect circle of starlight, without the crisscross rungs on the gate, glowed above her.“You could have closed the grate.”“Oh.””- Melanie Card, Ward Against Death
Grade:
No comments:
Post a Comment